Kawhi Leonard must feel like the belle of the ball with all the teams looking to ask him to next season’s dance floor.
The Los Angeles Clippers star is entering the final year of the 3-year, $149.5 million contract, and reports have indicated that the Clippers could put him on the trade block should the two sides not agree to an extension. Leonard has been tied to a handful of playoff teams already.
According to a report from The Athletic published Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks have also inquired about Leonard’s availability. Per Christian Clark, Dan Woike, and Sam Amick, the Mavericks and Clippers have discussed a deal that would bring Leonard to Dallas in exchange for a package that includes PJ Washington, Klay Thompson, and draft picks.
The Mavericks do not possess their own first-round pick next season unless it lands in the top two. That means Dallas will more than likely look to compete rather than play the tanking game and hope the basketball gods bless them, especially with the revamped lottery rules already taking effect next year.
Leonard has reportedly made it clear that he would only re-sign with two potential trade suitors: the Toronto Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs. While the Mavericks aren’t one of Leonard’s former teams, the franchise does have Masai Ujiri running the show — the same executive who brought Leonard to Toronto back in 2019.
It seems unlikely that no other teams would match the Mavericks’ aforementioned offer for Leonard, which makes such a move seem far-fetched. But the idea of pairing Cooper Flagg with a two-time Finals MVP in Kawhi could prove tantalizing enough for Ujiri to sweeten the deal if need be.
